Hurricane Florence bears down on Carolinas

Florence's rain will be relentless, with up to 40 inches expected in some parts of the Carolina coasts, forecasters said.

A man walks past a boarded-up business in Wilmington, N.C., ahead of the storm. Rain could continue through Tuesday.

He added: "This is a very risky storm". The category ranking of storms only describes the speed of the storm's sustained winds.

Two detention facilities in SC that are within government-mandated evacuation zones will not relocate inmates ahead of Hurricane Florence's landfall there. "Surviving this storm will be a test of endurance, teamwork, common sense and patience".

Residents wade through deep floodwater to retrieve belongings from the Trent Court public housing apartments after the Neuse River went over its banks during Hurricane Florence September 13, 2018 in New Bern, US.

At least 12,000 people had taken refuge in 126 emergency shelters, Cooper said, with more facilities being opened.

Heavy rains were forecast to extend into the Appalachian Mountains, affecting parts of Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky and West Virginia.

Prisoners were affected, too.

A state of emergency has been declared in five coastal states - North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Maryland and Virginia - as well as the U.S. capital Washington.

An estimated one million people evacuated North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia as the storm moved close to the US.

Roads and intersections on North Carolina's Outer Banks barrier islands were already inundated with water.

"It will be historic", Baker said of the rain from Florence.

Coastal towns in the Carolinas were largely empty, and schools and businesses closed as far south as Georgia.

6 a.m.: The eyewall of Hurricane Florence is onshore on North Carolina and landfall is expected soon near Topsail Beach. Hurricane-force winds extended 80 miles (130 kilometers) from its center, and tropical-storm-force winds up to 195 miles (315 kilometers).

A camera at the Frying Pan Tower located 34 miles off the coast of Cape Fear, North Carolina has been livestreaming a view of the Atlantic Ocean since May, and is powering through the storm to dutifully record an American flag over the rising waves.

About 5.25 million people live in areas under hurricane warnings or watches, and 4.9 million live in places covered by tropical storm warnings or watches, the National Weather Service said.

Like many other officials in the storm's path, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster said no one will be able to save at-risk residents if they choose to ride out the storm.

The storm was reduced to a Category 1 Hurricane before it crash into the US East Coast.

There are fears that this storm could cause damage similar to what Houston suffered during Hurricane Harvey past year, when homes and businesses were inundated with floodwater. Officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) have warned that failure to do so could be potentially deadly.

As Florence drew near, U.S. President Donald Trump tweeted that FEMA and first responders are "supplied and ready", and he disputed the official conclusion that almost 3,000 people died in Puerto Rico, claiming the figure was a Democratic plot to make him look bad.

"We'll operate without power; we have candles. If you're called to go, you need to go". This dock, which should be a good four or five feet down only have about another foot or two left on those pedal stools before this and about seven or eight of these other docks come away and become sort of moving barges of destruction throughout this city.